Dec. 10, 2003

University of Illinois All-American wrestler Alex Tirapelle earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors for the first time in his career following his stellar performance at the Las Vegas Invitational, which also earned him Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. Tirapelle (So., Clovis, Calif.) defeated back-to-back No. 1-ranked wrestlers on his way to the 157-pound title.

Tirapelle went 5-0 in the weekend's competition with three wins over Top-10 opponents. He met ninth-ranked Brian Stith of Arizona State in the quarterfinals, handily beating him by a 10-2 major decision. In his semifinal match, Tirapelle took on the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, Jesse Jantzen of Harvard, winning in dominant fashion, 13-4.

The tournament finals were a rematch of the NCAA Championship bout as Tirapelle faced No. 1 Ryan Bertin of Michigan. He evened the series record vs. Bertin to two wins apiece with a 4-2 decision over the national champ. His win over Bertin marked the second time in his career he has beaten a defending national champion and third win over a No. 1-ranked opponent. He is currently 14-7 against ranked opponents in his short career.